Em's Daily Grind

Le Pain Quotidien – 414 Bourke Street

The Fundamentals

Time	2:20pm Saturday
Bean	Neoma
Coffee turnaround:	11 minutes
Price:	$3.75
Wifi:	Yes
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

It pains me to give this place a two star review. The service is good, the atmosphere is awesome as is the food but they just cannot do coffee. The cup (or should I say bowl?) was very hot but the coffee itself was a good temperature. There was the right amount of froth that was smooth, however, the big downfall was the coffee tasted like flavoured milk. If I want to drink a cup of hot milk, I can warm it up at home.

Neoma coffee comes from all over the globe. It appears to be quite a mild-flavoured and sweet coffee. You can read more on it here.

The Service

The staff here are smiley, bubbly girls who are very attentive. Although, they have a surcharge of $1 per person even if you are just drinking a coffee on a Saturday.

The Vibe

This cafe is cosy, light and airy. Classical music such as Pachelbel’s Canon in D was playing. Chique wooden communal tables and pieces of art hanging on the wall give it an air of sophistication. Try and stop yourself from drooling over displays of scrumptious looking cakes and freshly baked bread. This is an ideal place to come to if you want to job hunt or begin that novel you always planned to write.

Your Vote

Tags: Bourke Street, coffee review, Le Pain Quotidien, Neoma, Surry Hills

Comments 1 Comment
Categories 2 Stars

Flow Espresso – 144 Cathedral Street

11 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	1:15pm Friday
Bean	Campos
Coffee turnaround:	2 minutes
Price:	$4.oo
Wifi:	No
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

This was very strong flavoured and tasty but left a bad taste in my mouth. It was unbearably hot with too much froth.

Campos Coffee uses arabica beans. You can read more on Campos Coffee here.

The Service

The service was pleasant enough and pretty straightforward.

The Vibe

The place feels quite temporary as though renovations need to be done. A crate was holding up a speaker. Outside a junkie couple drank takeaway cups of coffee. The woman was so high she couldn’t raise her cigarette to her mouth and she was ever so slowly falling off her chair – it was actually quite painful to watch. All in all there is not much atmosphere here.

Your Vote

Tags: Campos, Cathedral Street, coffee, coffee review, Flow Espresso, junkie, Woolloomoloo

Comments 2 Comments
Categories 3 Stars

Room Nine – 289 Crown Street

10 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	11:20am Thursday
Bean:	The Little Marionette
Coffee turnaround:	4 minutes
Price:	$3.70
Wifi:	Yes – although no one knew the password
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

The coffee was mild flavoured, a good temperature with too much froth.

The Little Marionette is a Sydney-based company that blends beans from Colombia and Guatemala. You can read more about them here.

The Service

The staff were vague and trendy but polite. As the barista brought out my coffee he asked if I wanted to order food. When I said no he said he would bring me out a glass of water. Fifteen minutes later he appeared with my water, apologizing for forgetting. He remembered to bring me my bill though.

The Vibe

A row of tables sit behind a thick hedge which gives the illusion you’re hidden away from busy Crown Street. On either side of me sat gossipy girls. To my left were two eighteen year olds discussing where they want to study film. They said things like, “this one time when I was in New York”. To my right were two girls with blunt fringes wearing retro skirts and big sunglasses. The brunette said to the redhead, “I would hit on her. I would fully have sex with her. Belly dancers are sooooo sexy.” Don’t come here if you want a private conversation. If you’re up for some eavesdropping as light entertainment, get your arse here pronto.

Your Vote

Tags: coffee, coffee review, Crown Street, gossipy girls, Room Nine, Surry Hills, The Little Marionette

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 3 Stars

Pieno – 285A Crown Street

9 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	12:40pm Wednesday
Bean	Five Senses
Coffee turnaround:	2 minutes
Price:	$3.80
Wifi:	Yes
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

This has been my favourite coffee so far. It is strong, bitter and full of taste. The froth was full and creamy and the coffee was a perfect temperature.

Pieno get their coffee from Five Senses, although the waitress couldn’t tell me what blend (see below for my discussion of vague waitresses). Five Senses uses Arabica beans from Papa New Guinea.

The Service

I come here a bit because the food is really tasty too but I always find the staff to be vague and flakey. Although having said that, after I’d been there 10 minutes the waitress brought me out a bottle of water without me having to ask.

The Vibe

I was surprised that it was so dead, although it was over 30 degrees outside. Soft jazzy, ambient music played and by 1pm, the tables started to crowd out. If you come, try and snag one of the wooden tables outside underneath the red umbrella. This spot is really pleasant, although watch out for the pigeons which can get under your feet. Come here to chill out and watch the world go by.

Your Vote

Tags: coffee, coffee review, Crown Street, Five Senses, Pieno, Surry Hills

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 5 Stars

Battuta – 179 Oxford Street

8 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	11:30pm Tuesday
Bean	Primo
Coffee turnaround:	5 minutes
Price:	$4.00
Wifi:	Yes
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

This was one yummy coffee. It was strong and packed full of flavour and served to me at a perfect temperature. If it wasn’t for the excessive froth, I’d give it five stars.

Primo imports green coffee from all over the world.

The Service

This is really a cafe to come to when you want to hang out and not be disturbed, because the staff will forget you’re there. No one took my empty cup or asked me if I wanted anything else. Instead the waiter stood like a statue staring out at Oxford Street, watching the world go by. What better place to do this than here?

The Vibe

It feels like Battuta has been around since the dawn of time, so they must be doing something right. This place is comfy and arty. Flashing fairy lights dangle from the ceiling. Inside the lighting is dark. Sand stone bricks are randomly placed on the counter and walls alongside large-scale quirky sketches. Most of these artworks are pretty creepy though.

Your Vote

Tags: Battuta, coffee, coffee review, Darlinghurst, Oxford Street

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 4 Stars

Kantine – 185 Campbell Street

7 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	11:50pm Monday
Beans	Genovese
Coffee turnaround:	2 minutes
Price:	$4
Wifi:	No
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

Genovese beans are supposed to be sweet and the coffee I drank was smooth and not at all bitter. The barista had created a perfect balance of not too strong and not too weak, however, it was every so slightly too hot with too much froth.

Genovese beans are collected from 14 various countries including Brazil, Colombia, Costa-Rica, Guatemala, Peru, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, New Guinea, India, and Indonesia. You can read more about Genovese here.

The Service

The staff were polite, if not a bit vague. The waiter walked from table to table holding up the specials board for people to read. It seemed kind of cute but also looked sort of awkward. The waitress was so efficient at taking my plate away that I couldn’t get her attention for the bill. At least she smiled a lot.

The Vibe

Inside has comfy couches, pregnant women and yummy mummys with small, blond children and tables of jovial men. Black and white photographs hang on the walls, alongside big mirrors and large abstract paintings. They were playing Triple M radio station which I thought clashed with the rest of the vibe of the place.

Your Vote

Tags: Campbell Street, coffee, coffee review, Genovese, Kantine, Surry Hills

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 3 Stars

Two Good Eggs – 148 Goulburn Street

6 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	3:00pm Sunday
Beans	Toby’s Estate Fairtrade Organic Beans
Coffee turnaround:	5 minutes
Price:	$4
Wifi:	No
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

The coffee was served in a stylish black cup with a little chocolate wafer treat. Note: these are for sale as well and are called Quadratini and are delicious. Even though the froth was smooth there was way too much of it. The coffee was strong and bitter.

Toby’s Estate is a combination of high altitude arabica beans from around the world. Read more about Toby’s Estate here.

The Service

The service was friendly. The manager stopped to chat to some customers about the music (it was a french DJ). When he brought out coffees to my hubby and me he forgot which was soy milk and which was regular so we had to sip each others – no biggie.

The Vibe

Sitting in this cosy cafe you’ll get the feeling people come here to unwind. It has stylish wooden tables, comfy chairs and modern colourful paintings. The floor looked tiled but on a closer inspection I discovered it’s actually painted on squares of brown and white resembling a checkers board. Look out for an old man with motorised buggy who sits out the front – he’s a bit of a regular and brings character to this homely cafe.

Your Vote

Tags: coffee, coffee review, Goulburn Street, Loacker, Quadratini, Surry Hills, Toby's Estate, Two Good Eggs

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 3 Stars

Mille Vini – 397 Crown Street

5 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	12:00pm Saturday
Bean:	Staff couldn’t tell me
Coffee turnaround:	8 minutes
Price:	$3.50
Wifi:	No
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

I absolutely loved this coffee. It was perfect temperature, strong, dark with the right amount of froth. My cuppa was full of flavour that lingered on your tongue.

Unfortunately I don’t know what blend they use. I asked two wait staff and they couldn’t pronounce it, or even spell out the letters so I could understand.

The Service

The wait staff here are friendly and brought me water without having to be asked – I love that. You get the feeling they wouldn’t mind you sitting there for hours, tapping away on your laptop only ordering coffee. It was just a shame they weren’t more keen to tell me about the coffee blend they use.

The Vibe

Looked trendy from outside but felt relaxed, comfortable and nice inside. Th music was pretty chilled out and played songs such as UB40. It was pretty busy and bubbly.

Your Vote

Tags: coffee, coffee review, Crown Street, Mille Vini, Surry Hills

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 5 Stars

iCafe – 265 Crown Street

4 Feb

Em's Daily Grind review photo of a flat white at iCafe, Crown Street, Surry Hills

The Fundamentals

Time	12:25pm Friday
Bean	Segafredo
Coffee turnaround:	one minute
Price:	$3.20
Wifi:	Yes
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

Segrafedo beans come from Brazil and Costa Rica. The coffee was fairly strong, a tad bitter, and served in a cup that had coffee dribbling over the side (see image above). This was a tasty cup of coffee, although the froth was a bit bubbly. You can read more on segafredo here.

The Service

When I first walked in I was met with a jubilant, “hello, how are you?” but after only ordering coffee, his gleeful temperament quickly left.

The only other people sitting in the joint were staff members who yelled to each other from one end of the cafe to the other. And they had to yell loudly over the eclectic mix of music which included: Fijian tunes; tacky pop; Nirvana; country; Phil Collins; and The Black Eyed Peas.

The Vibe

Beware the stench of grease! Just sitting there feels like you could get a shot of fat into an artery. If you’re after coffee I’d probably avoid lunch time here. Unless of course you are hung over and craving fatty foods.

When I first sat down, no one was in but as I left a couple of regulars came in for lunch. Mainly while I was there, it was people coming in for takeaway. Which is exactly what the place smells and feels like – your corner takeaway shop.

Your Vote

Tags: coffee review, Crown Street, icafe, segafredo, Surry Hills

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 3 Stars

Lumiere – 417 Bourke Street

3 Feb

The Fundamentals

Time	1:00pm Thursday
Bean	Molinari
Coffee turnaround:	5 minutes
Price:	$3.50
Wifi:	No
Stars:

The Location

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The Brew

This coffee was strong with a round, full bodied flavour. The reason I’m not giving this five stars is because it had too much froth and was too hot. Other than that the flavour was superb. Yummo!

Molinari coffee uses a mix of arabica and robusta beans from all over the world.

The Service

The service here is five star. They brought me water without me having to ask for it.

The Vibe

It’s very light and airy and has a modern, art deco feel. It’s busy with a real mix of people. Come here if you need your spirits lifted.

Your Vote

Tags: Bourke Street, Lumiere, Moli, Surry Hills

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories 4 Stars

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